Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the border with Kazakhstan and has a population of 1,074,075, as of 2021. Bishkek is the primate city of Kyrgyzstan—it is the sole metropolis in the country, and about 17% of all inhabitants of the country live in Bishkek's metropolitan area.
Music of Kazakhstan refers to a wide range of musical styles and genres deriving from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is home to the Kazakh State Kurmangazy Orchestra of Folk Instruments, the Kazakh State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kazakh National Opera and the Kazakh State Chamber Orchestra. The folk instrument orchestra was named after Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly, a well-known composer and dombra player from the 19th century.
The Epic of Manas is a very long and traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people of Central Asia. Versions of the poem which date to the 19th century and contain historical events of the 18th century, though Kyrgyz tradition holds it to be much older. Manas is said to be based on Bars Bek, the first khagan of the Kyrgyz Khaganate. The plot of Manas revolves around a series of events that coincide with the history of the region, primarily the interaction of the Kyrgyz people with other Turkic, Mongolic and Chinese peoples.
The komuz or qomuz is an ancient fretless string instrument used in Central Asian music, related to certain other Turkic string instruments, the Mongolian tovshuur, and the lute. The instrument can be found in Turkic ethnic groups, from China to Turkey. Forms of this instrument are used in China by the Naxi people and are called Huobusi, Hebisi , and Hunbusi.
The musical traditions of Central Asia mirror the immense diversity found in the cultures and populations residing in the region. Principal instrument types are two- or three-stringed lutes, the necks either fretted or fretless; fiddles made of horsehair; flutes, mostly sige at both ends and either end-blown or side-blown; and jew harps, mostly metal. Percussion instruments include frame drums, Tam origin of the bowed string Use of the bowed string is thought to originate with nomads who mainly used the snake-skin, covered horsetail-bowed lute. In Mongolia instruments like the morin khuur or horse-head fiddle survive today.
The culture of Kyrgyzstan has a wide mix of ethnic groups and cultures, with the Kyrgyz being the majority group. It is generally considered that there are 40 Kyrgyz clans, symbolized by the 40-rayed yellow sun in the center of the flag. The red lines inside the sun visualise the crown of a yurt, the traditional dwelling of nomadic farmers, once the main population of the Central Asian area. The dominant religion of Kyrgyzstan is Sunni Islam (91%). The Russian population is Russian Orthodox.
The kobyz or kylkobyz, or qobyz, is an ancient Turkic bowed string instrument, spread among Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Bashkirs, and Tatars. The Kyrgyz variant is called the kyl-kyyak).
Ala-Too Square is the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Rysbek Jumabayev is a revered manaschi. He has performed around the world, including in New York and London, and parts of his recitation of Manas have been recorded by the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia.
Salamat Sadikova is a folk singer and the head of the coordinating council for the El-Ene Party in Kyrgyzstan. Widely regarded as a national treasure, she is often referred to by the sobriquet "The Voice of Kyrgyzstan," which is also the name of one of her albums.
The temir komuz is a Kyrgyz jaw harp, while the komuz is a three-stringed fretless lute. As an instrument, the temir komuz is unrelated to the komuz in terms of style and structure; however, it takes its name from the other popular Turkic instrument.
Talas is a town in northwestern Kyrgyzstan, located in the Talas river valley between two mountain ranges. Its area is 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi), and its resident population was 40,308 in 2021. It is the administrative headquarters of Talas Region. The town was founded by East Slavic settlers in 1877. To the south is the Besh-Tash valley with the Besh-Tash National Park.
Aitysh Public Fund is a charitable organization, which aims to promote and develop culture throughout Kyrgyzstan. Founded by public figure, producer and director Sadyk Sher-Niyaz in 2001 in the capital of Bishkek, the structure of the Fund consists of the Union of Improvised Singing ‘Aitysh’, Film Production Company ‘Aitysh Film’, International Film Festival "Kyrgyzstan - Land of Short Films", Manas Cinema network and Literary Organization ‘Kalemger’.
Darkestrah is a Kyrgyz pagan metal band, formed in 1999 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Throughout their career the band has blended folklore music with metal elements. In its lyrics and in musical composition, the band uses national folk musical instruments, such as the komuz and kyl-kyak, and references shamanism and Tengrism. The band also takes influence from genres such as progressive rock and post-rock, generally constructing lengthy, rhythmically complex songs that often feature several discrete movements.
Manas Studies is a separate line of research within Kyrgyz studies, which looks into the scientific study of the Kyrgyz Manas epic. Representatives of this scientific area are called Manas Studies scholars.
Talantaaly Bakchiev is a manaschi, representative of the 'middle generation', and academic. He was president of the “Manas” and Chingiz Aitmatov National Academy.
Doolot Sydykov, is a manaschi.
Roza Amanova is a famous Kyrgyz singer. Dastanchy, composer, and komuz players. People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic (2009). Honored Artist of Kazakhstan (1998). Laureate of the State Prize of the Kyrgyz Republic named after Toktogul in literature, art, and architecture (2011). Member of the Union of Composers of the Kyrgyz Republic. Chairman of the Kyrgyz Traditional Music Foundation. Doctor of Art History, Professor.
Dance in Kyrgyzstan includes reconstructed traditional dances and modern theatrical dance. No descriptions of traditional dances exist; all of the modern folk dances are created after the establishment of the Soviet rule in Central Asia. Theatrical dance flourished during the 20th century with many innovative ballet performances and choreographed dancing in opera.
Soviet postage stamp depicting traditional Kyrgyz musical instruments
The back of the Kyrgyz 1 Som banknote shows some traditional instruments, including a komuz (centre)
A traditional Kyrgyz manaschi performing part of the epic poem
